Down a River
by dhadame
Summary: Sometimes what is broken cannot be fixed.
1. Prologue

I sat on the bank of the river for what seemed to be an eternity. I watched the fish jumping up stream, no doubt looking for a good place to lay their eggs. I saw birds bathing and then flying away. All of this, combined with the beauty of the forestry and a glimpse of an old wooden walking bridge, was beautiful to me.

I sighed as I looked down in my lap and saw my note and the empty coke bottle. I felt like this idea should be in one of those cheesy love stories. You know the type. The ones where a guy will show up and rescue the girl. I've been waiting for a happy ending for awhile. I had come to the conclusion it might not happen.

I turned my wheelchair back to the path to go home. I got a little ways up and then put the breaks on the chair. I stuffed my note into the plastic bottle and closed the lid. I threw it over my should into the river. I laughed at the gesture. Who ever found it downstream would be cursing about littering. They would probably never open it to read my sad note. I mean, it's not like the river actually dumps into the Mississippi River and then into the ocean eventually. Where I threw the in the bottle it wouldn't even make it that far.

I took the breaks off of my chair and wheeled myself the rest of the way home.


	2. Chapter 1 Physical Therapy

I set to do my morning chores around the house. Even though I have grown used to my wheelchair, it is quite frustrating to get everything done. There is still not enough room around the house for me to maneuver my chair effectively without bumping into some thing.

My brothers, Emmett and Jasper, moved back in with me after my accident. Even though they try to help me keep the house clean and do the shopping, I can't help but feel as though I am holding them back from having real lives.

The accident happened when I was seventeen. The unfortunate event took my parents lives and left me paralyzed in my legs. I still have the nightmares about that night and I still hear the screams of my parents.

I wheeled myself to the living room to look through the mail. The only piece of mail that was of any interest was a letter to Jasper from his girlfriend, Alice, who happened to be studying abroad in Italy. I had told Alice before she left that when she got her degree in architecture, I would hire her to design a new home so that I could move around with ease. She had smiled at the thought.

I heard a thud from upstairs. I smiled. Emmett was awake. I tuned my wheelchair towards the stairs to see my oldest brother sauntering down the stairs. He stood at the bottom step, rubbing his eyes in my direction.

"Good morning, Em," I said.

"mmmm," Emmett grumbled.

"Late shift last night?"

"Yeah. James was late again. Seems that him and his girl, Victoria, got into it again. He came in yelling that his girl threw him out of their apartment. Laurent had to send him home. His attitude was not good for the patients."

Emmett worked for the hospital as a nurse. He comes home usually early enough for me to hear about all the local gossip. It was almost as good as going to a beauty salon. The only problem is that most of his tales end up with more pain than can be imagined at first. The only story I truly found fascinating was about his co-worker, James.

Emmett walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. He came back to the living room and sat down on the couch beside my chair.

"Jazz already left for work?"

"Yeah, about six-thirty this morning.

"Do you still want me to take you to your physical therapy session?"

"What for, Em? It's been five years. If I was going to walk, don't you think I already would have by now?"

"It doesn't work like that Bells. The doctor told you it would take a lot of time."

"I know. It's just not encouraging any more. I hurt on my arms after the session and no progress has been made with my legs."

"We could always try the specialist route. We haven't thought about that for awhile."

"We can't afford it."

"Bell, Jazz and I have been working real hard and have been saving money besides paying the bills. I am sure we can afford it now. Plus we still have the money that was granted to us through the courts from the person that caused the accident."

"I know. I just think it would be a waste of money. What are they going to say? Thanks for giving us your money, literally, and there is nothing that we can do for you."

Emmett smiled at my sarcasm. I knew it was a losing battle. I couldn't wheel myself fast enough to get away from my big brother. I knew that if he wanted me to go, I would end up going.

"Can you blame us for being optimistic? We want our sister happy and walking."

"Well, let's face the facts that the walking me might never return. I am happy knowing that I am still alive. That is more than what our parents got."

Emmett lost his smile and nodded his head. He knew that I didn't like the fact that I survived and our parents didn't. He knew as much as I protested, I also didn't like being trapped in the chair and being a burden on my brothers. It was just a situation that I grew used to and saw no point in denying what is.

"At least go to the therapy session. I heard we are supposed to have a new doctor. I heard that he does miracles with people in your condition."

"Fine. I will continue to amuse you with the idea of me walking one day."

He touched my face. His sadness was in his eyes. I knew he didn't mean to cause me any pain. I don't know what was wrong with me. Maybe I was angry with everything. Oh, you can live but you have to do it from within a chair. I guess not being able to do a lot of the things that I want to be able to do is sore too.

Emmett got up and grabbed my bag and his keys. He took the back of my chair and wheeled me to the door. He opened the door and I wheeled myself to the porch. He closed the door behind us and then grabbed the back of my chair again and wheeled me down the ramp. When we got to the car, he opened the front passenger door and then lifted me up to put me safely in the car. He collapsed my chair and put it into the trunk of the car. He came around smiling.

"What are you grinning about?"

"Nothing. I just had a thought. That's all."

"The world is doomed with you and your thoughts," I said and started laughing.

Emmett drove to the hospital. I watched the scenery go by. Watching everyone walk on the sidewalk. Always in such a hurry. I wonder what the rush is.

Emmett pulled into the parking lot and found his spot. He got my chair out of the trunk and then wheeled it over to my door to lift me out and into the chair. He locked the car doors and then wheeled me to the front door of the hospital.

Everyone had come to know me at the hospital. Not just because Emmett worked here but also because of my stay and therapy. He wheeled me to the physical therapy room and then checked in with the nurse.

"Dr. Cullen will be with you in just a moment, Emmett."

I wheeled over to the sitting area so Emmett could sit by me. He joined me and grabbed my hand. He knew that I would ache in places that I could feel and knew that I probably wouldn't feel what I should be able to.

"If this doesn't start working, will you please reconsider the specialist?"

"Maybe. We'll see what the new doc has to say."

The new doc came into the room. I couldn't help but stare. He looked so young. The sun bounced off of his platinum blonde hair. He looked like he was a model not a doctor. He walked over to me and Emmett and stretched out his hand.

"You must be Emmett. I am Carlisle Cullen."

"Ah, pleasure to meet you. This is my sister, Isabella."

The doctor smiled at me and I shook his hand.

"So I have read your chart, Isabella. You were in a car accident five years ago, is that correct?"

"Yes, and please call me Bell."

"All right, Bell. Well, I have created a new therapy course that I think might be a little more productive. It also allows your family to be more interactive with your treatment if they want to."

I looked at Emmett. He beamed. He had told me countless of times that he wished that he could help me with this. He also wished that he could take this pain from me.

"Sounds good."

"The first step is we are going to have you do some exercises in an almost weightless environment."

"What does that mean?"

"We are going to use a pool. This will help your muscles and keep gravity from affecting them so much."

"Sounds like fun," Emmett said. I couldn't help but laugh. At least Emmett could now help me through this.

"We have a very talented physical therapist who will be assisting you and your brother through this journey. I have had positive reports about my line of physical therapy. We are hoping for the same results for you."

"Sounds promising doc," Emmett said.

"Well, if you want to follow me to the pool area then we can meet your new physical therapist."

Dr. Cullen started walking out into the hallway. Emmett pushed me. We reached the pool area and Dr. Cullen held the door open so that Emmett could get me through the door. The first thing I saw was a young man next to the pool. His bronze hair glimmered in the sun to make it almost look red. When he turned to look at us he had the most startling green eyes that I had ever saw. He got up and headed over to us.

"Hello, my name is Edward Masen," he said and extended his hand first to Emmett, and then to me.

I couldn't help but just stare at him.


	3. Chapter 2 The pool

The pool was warm and inviting. It was also comforting to know that Emmett was there with me. Not that this Edward guy wasn't pleasant or gentle, it was just the fact that I didn't know him. His green eyes sparkled at my nervousness.

Edward lowered me slowly into the pool so I could be on the steps. Emmett was already in the pool waiting for me. I looked up after I had been carefully put onto the step to see Edward remove his shirt. He got into the pool and stood in front of me.

"Okay, I know that you will have that sinking feeling that most have when they first learn to swim. What we are going to do today is have you float on your back while your brother and I move your legs."

Emmett helped me to get on my back. All I could feel was my arms moving around in the water. I knew that this was the first day but, I was already discouraged.

I was in the pool for what felt like hours. When Emmett lifted me out of the pool, I saw that it was only forty-five after. Edward laid a towel down on the seat of my chair. Emmett put me down and then grabbed another towel to dry my legs off.

"Go change, Em. I can dry myself off."

He smiled at me, handed me the towel, and headed off to the locker room. I laid the towel in my lap and just stared at the useless legs dripping with water.

"You do know that even though you can't feel them, the cold air on them can still get you sick?"

I looked up to see Edward walking towards me. He was in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was wet and messy. He grabbed a dry towel and knelt before me.

"Is this okay?"

I just nodded. He took one of my legs and carefully wiped it dry. I flinched when I felt a shock. It couldn't have been my legs.

"Are you okay? Did you feel something?"

"No. It was nothing."

"Are you sure? It is good to tell me anything that you might have felt. Even if you think it is in your head."

"It just felt like a static shock. That's all. It's really nothing."

"Let Dr. Cullen decide what is nothing, Bell. Let him try and help you."

"I'm sorry. I just don't think there is any help for me."

"You never know. With me and Dr. Cullen on the case, we might just have you walking soon."

I couldn't help but smile at his eagerness and optimistic attitude. It was actually refreshing. I know Emmett is optimistic but not in this way.

"I'll have the nurse come and take you to the locker room," Edward said and got up.

I was so sick and tired of having everyone else help me to do the basics. I unlocked my breaks on my chair to wheel myself to the locker room. I wasn't expecting the floor to be so slippery. The only thing I remembered was the pool water engulfing me.


	4. Chapter 3 The Rescue

I felt the water shift around me as I sunk towards the bottom of the pool. I couldn't breathe anymore. An arm moved around my chest and lifted me up. I felt like I was floating until I felt the stairs on my back. What I heard next must have been a dream.

"Bell, please. Not again."

The voice did not sound like Emmett's voice. Even though I knew that the person might not be Emmett, I felt comfort by the voice. That was where I felt something soft on my mouth. I spat the pool water out and felt the person turn me onto my side. I opened my eyes to see my brother running towards me. I then thought, who rescued me? I was rolled back over to see the answer in the pair of green eyes that stared at me. There were tears in his eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"I shouldn't have left you by the pool. I should have just wheeled you to the locker room to wait for the nurse. I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault. I was the one who thought I could do it myself."

"It wasn't right of me. I won't let it happen again."

I felt Emmett at my side. He looked at Edward.

"What happened?"

"Don't be angry Emmett," I said, "I thought I could wheel myself to the locker room. I was told to stay put and I didn't."

"What were you thinking Bell?"

"That I am an independent young woman that wanted to do something on her own."

Emmett smiled, "You stubborn girl."

I was lifted back into my chair and Emmett wheeled me to the locker room where the nurse was waiting. She took me into the room and started to dry me off. I heard Emmett talking to Edward through the vents.

"I'm sorry Emmett. I didn't know that she would try to move."

"That's my sister for you. Ever since the accident, she doesn't like anyone to baby her. If she can do it on her own, she will. She needs to understand that there are certain limitations right now."

"I think that would be almost impossible for her to learn. She is quite spirited."

"You should have seen her before the accident. There wasn't one person that could tame her."

I heard the smile from Edward. I kept thinking about that smile. It was a brilliant smile. It was like the sun shone through the cloudy day on just one patch of grass. But it was well worth the split second that you were warmed by the sun.

The nurse finished dressing me quickly. I was actually eager to see this physical therapist again. The nurse wheeled me out and I saw the two boys just talking near the window. They both turned when they heard me approaching. Emmett's face was filled with the adoring look that a sibling would have for another sibling. Edward's face was now looking like he was scared to come near me.

"Well, are we ready to go back home? I'm sure that Jazz will be home any minute for lunch."

"Yeah. I'm ready. I'm actually a little tired."

"The exercises in the pool will do that. It means it might be working," Edward said.

"So we'll see you the same time next week?"

"Sure. I'll be here."

When Emmett turned me to wheel me away, I could have sworn that there was a longing in Edward's eyes. Like he wasn't sure if he would get to see me again.


End file.
